Naruto: Why are Rock Lee's eyes round? Explained

Rock Lee is one of the most beloved characters in the Naruto series who has shown the world what one can achieve through hard work alone. He is a unique character because he is one of the few people who cannot use ninjutsu techniques. For someone like him to become a strong shinobi, he has to work twice as hard in order to keep up with his peers who can execute advanced ninjutsu techniques.

This character is also unique in appearance. One can club Might Guy and Rock Lee together since the student copied his teacher’s outfit and haircut since he looks up to him. However, fans want to understand why his eyes are that round. Round eyes aren't particularly obscure, but the shape of his eyes is quite different from other Naruto characters.

The anime and manga series hasn’t really given fans an explanation as to why Rock Lee has such round eyes.

Let’s take a look at all the possible reasons for this creative choice taken by Kishimoto and the artists responsible for character design.

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Understanding why Rock Lee has round eyes in the Naruto series

Shape Psychology

One of the most logical explanations for this creative choice can be understood by taking a look at shape psychology. Every design shape has a distinct effect on the viewer and can be associated with a specific emotion.

In this case, when any manga or anime character is designed, the shapes used are a reflection of the character’s attitude and overall demeanor. For example, aggressive characters who are willing to take risks and display signs of uncertainty usually have an inverted triangular shape.

To understand the effect shape has on the viewer’s perception of characters, we will be comparing Rock Lee to Sasuke from the Naruto series.

Round shapes are usually used in designing characters that are outgoing and extremely friendly. This is also one of the reasons why most children's book illustrations feature a plethora of characters with round or oval faces.

Sharp angular lines are also rounded because round shapes are more pleasing to the eye than harsh angular lines. Given Rock Lee's personality, incorporating as many round and circular elements as possible into his character design makes sense.

If we take a look at Rock Lee and Sasuke, we can notice that Sasuke’s design has a lot more sharp angular lines while Rock Lee’s designs have smoother and rounded elements. Rock Lee's eyes are larger and more circular than Sasuke's, which are smaller and more angular.

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Differentiating Rock Lee from the rest

There is another possible reason why Rock Lee was given unique eyes in the Naruto series. As stated earlier, he is a unique character who does not use ninjutsu.

When a character like this appears in the Naruto series, it is important for the creator to design the character in a way that allows viewers to distinguish him from the rest. This could explain why Rock Lee has round eyes that other characters do not.

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